1st Grade Teachers

1st Grade

First Grade Information

Language Arts

First grade students continue to build phonemic awareness and phonics skills as they increase sound/symbol relationships. Instruction incorporates phonemic awareness and sound/symbol lessons from Open Court, Project Read, and Houghton Mifflin programs. Shared reading and guided reading lessons in both small and large groups expose students to a variety of reading strategies. Reading vocabulary is built in a way that will also foster a love of good literature. Guided reading groups allow students to work with other students that have similar reading needs as they move toward greater independence in reading.

In addition to various leveled and decodable little books, a variety of materials are used from the Houghton/Mifflin reading series. Students develop independence with nightly home reading which is at each student’s individual reading level.

Students learn to read for understanding while using various comprehension strategies:

Main idea

Details

Drawing conclusions,

Inference,

Analytical and evaluation skills

Writing instruction focuses on writing clear, complete sentences and logical stories that have a good beginning, middle and end.

Math

Math instruction begins at the concrete level using manipulatives. Students then move gradually to the connecting level. At this level, students begin to make the transition from concrete to abstract math symbols. Finally, students work with abstract paper/pencil tasks.

Instructional units include:

Patterning and sorting

Estimating

Graphing

Addition and subtraction facts to 20(with the goal of committing these to memory by the end of the year) place value (adding and subtracting two place numbers)

Time

Money

Geometric shapes

Measurement

Fractions

Problem solving

Three addends

Beginning algebraic thinking

Social Studies

First grade students study their place in the family, community, country, and world, with special emphasis upon North America. Additional lessons include: maps and globes; environmental awareness; patriotism; the Arctic and the Antarctic.

Science

Students use materials from Houghton-Mifflin to explore concepts in solids and liquids; weather; plants and animals. Additional lessons focus on the Arctic and Antarctic animals and are integrated into social studies.

Homework

A weekly homework packet is assigned on Monday, which is to be completed, and returned on Friday. Students are also assigned nightly reading at home at their independent level.